An American in Paris in Concert

I love the movie An American in Paris so I was positively giddy with excitement to see it on the big screen while the Utah Symphony performed the score by George and Ira Gershwin last night!  Who could ask for anything more?  Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly) is an American ex-GI who decides to stay in Paris after the war to study painting.  One day he meets a lovely Parisian shopgirl named Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron) and they immediately fall in love while dancing along the Seine.  However, Lise is engaged to Henri Baurel (Georges Guetary) and feels that she can't break her engagement because he kept her safe during the war.  Jerry also feels indebted to his sponsor, an American heiress (Nina Foch) who is in love with him, because she is helping him sell his paintings.  It takes an incredible dream sequence with Jerry and Lise dancing through Jerry's paintings of Paris for them to realize that they belong together.  I loved hearing the orchestra play all of those wonderful Gershwin songs, including "Embraceable You," "Nice Work If You Can Get It," "I Got Rhythm," "Love Is Here to Stay," "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise," and "'S Wonderful."  However, my favorite moments from the score were Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra and the American in Paris ballet.  The former is a piece that Adam (Oscar Levant), a composer living in the same building as Jerry, daydreams that he is performing and it is hilarious because he is also the conductor, several musicians, and members of the audience but I was too busy watching the same musicians in the Utah Symphony mimic him (especially the gong and the timpani) in those moments.  The latter is the music used during the extraordinary 17-minute ballet which is said to represent George Gershwin's impressions as an American visitor walking the streets of Paris and I especially loved the themes played by the oboe and horns.  I say this after every performance in the films in concert series but this was so immersive and I loved that the audience applauded after every number!  It was wonderful!

Note:  I had so much fun at this concert but I honestly cannot wait for the next one, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, because I get to hear "Kylo Ren Arrives at the Battle" performed live!  Go here for tickets.

Emily

It seems like I have been waiting forever to see Emily but I finally had the chance last night at the Broadway.  Not much is known about the life of Emily Bronte so this is a fictionalized account speculating about what could have made a sheltered and inexperienced young woman capable of writing something like Wuthering Heights and I loved it.  We meet Emily (Emma Mackey) when she is ill and near death.  In her final moments her sister Charlotte (Alexandra Dowling) asks her how she came to write a book as scandalous as Wuthering Heights. Several years earlier Emily is viewed as strange by the people in the village because she is sensitive, imaginative, and unconventional.  She is chastised for her behavior by her harsh father, the Rev. Patrick Bronte (Adrian Dunbar), and encouraged by her sisters, the uptight Charlotte and the docile Anne (Amelia Gething), to give up writing her fanciful stories and poems.  It is her poetry, however, that attracts the attention of her father's new curate William Weightman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen).  Despite clashing with each other, they fall madly in love and are soon drawn into a forbidden affair that is as passionate and doomed as that of Cathy and Heathcliff.  She is devastated when he suddenly ends the relationship and vows that she will never write again but her dissolute brother Branwell (Fionn Whitehead) reveals a secret which enables her to find her voice and write her masterpiece.  I love dark and brooding Gothic romances and this is a particularly good one due, in large part, to a highly nuanced performance by Mackey.  I loved all of the close-up shots of her face, because even when those around her are forcing her into submission her expressive eyes betray her inner rebellion, as well as all of the scenes depicting her wild abandon on the moors.  Jackson-Cohen is also outstanding, particularly in a scene where he struggles to suppress his passion while getting into his clerical garb, and I enjoyed Whitehead's boyish charm (as opposed to all of the psychopathic villains he has portrayed lately).  The beautiful cinematography showing the wild and windswept moors (which almost feel like a character) and the evocative score add to the otherworldly atmosphere.  Finally, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the subtle allusions to Wuthering Heights, particularly a scene involving the supernatural.  I highly recommend this, especially to all of my fellow fans of Gothic romances.

Note:  With this, Of An Age, and Close I am three for three with movies at the Broadway this week!

Jazz vs. Thunder

Last night I went to another Jazz game with my friend Angela and it was one of the most exciting games I've been to in a really long time!  I specifically picked the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder because, when I had season tickets many years ago, the Thunder and the Jazz had a great rivalry because of Deron Williams and Chris Paul.  The current Jazz and Thunder teams are very evenly matched so I was expecting a close game but the final minutes were absolutely crazy!  The Jazz took an early lead but the score went back and forth until the Thunder went on a 9-0 run to end the half ahead 55-46.  The Jazz had a lot of turnovers, struggled defensively under the net, and missed a lot of three point shots but they never gave up.  They battled back at the beginning of the second half with the help of Jordan Clarkson, who scored or assisted on the first six baskets, to come within two but the Thunder went on another run to end the third quarter 78-86.  The fourth quarter was the Lauri Markkanen show because he contributed 18 points, including a sweet slam dunk and a really pretty three point jump shot!  Walker Kessler got a nice block and putback layup to tie the Thunder 106-106 which sent the game into overtime (and sent the crowd into hysterics).  The score went back and forth in overtime with three point shots from Kelly Olynyk (whenever he does anything noteworthy Angela reminds me that he is Canadian), Lauri Markkanen, and Jordan Clarkson!  The score was 119-117 in favor of the Thunder with 4.6 seconds left when Markkanen was fouled on a three point shot.  He then made all three foul shots to pull ahead 120-119 and the crowd erupted!  It was so thrilling to be a part of it!  With only a few seconds remaining Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who ended the game with 39 points, missed a jump shot to give the Jazz the win!  Even though I had a hard time breathing during the final minutes I had to much fun at this game and I'm so glad that Angela keeps inviting me!

Of An Age

I originally had a ticket to see Of An Age on Wednesday night but the Broadway, like much of SLC, was closed because of the massive snowstorms we have been having.  Luckily, I was able to exchange my ticket and went to see it yesterday afternoon.  I can't even begin to express how much I loved this movie!  Kol (Elias Anton) is a young Serbian immigrant to Australia who aspires to be an amateur ballroom dance champion.  The only problem is that his partner Ebony (Hattie Hook) wakes up hungover on an unknown beach the morning of their competition with no memory of how she got there.  He has no way to come and get her so she suggests that he contact her older brother Adam (Thom Green) because he has a car.  Kol and Adam slowly get to know each other on the long drive to the beach and, by the time they reach Ebony, they are both clearly smitten.  Later that night, Adam attends a party with Ebony and insists that she invite Kol so he can see him again.  They end up spending a passionate night together but Adam is leaving to study abroad the next morning so they reluctantly part.  Eleven years later, they reunite at Ebony's wedding and, while they both realize that they cannot be together, it is clear that their encounter has had a profound effect on each of them.  I really loved how the dynamic between the two characters changes in the two timelines.  In 1999 Kol is awkward, insecure, uncomfortable in his own skin, and just beginning to question his sexuality.  Adam is confident, self-assured, and incredibly appealing and Kol is completely under his spell (so was I).  In 2010 Kol is handsome, stylish, successful, and social (the scene where he dances with Ebony at her wedding is in complete contrast to the one at the earlier party where he is bullied by his peers).  Adam is captivated by him (I have to admit that I was as well) and spends much of the wedding seeking him out without success.  Their scenes together are romantic and filled with so much longing that it is palpable (Anton and Green have tremendous chemistry) and I loved how the close-up camera shots on their faces reveal the feelings they are trying to repress.  Finally, I loved the messages about the importance of being truly seen by someone else and that it is better to experience love, even if it is fleeting or ephemeral, than not (it reminded me a lot of Call Me By Your Name but with a very different vibe).  It is melancholy but so beautiful (I really couldn't help but love it) and I highly recommend it!

Titanic The Musical at HCT

Other than Strictly Ballroom, I don't think I have ever been as excited for a show at HCT as I was for Titanic The Musical last night (I even drove through a major snowstorm to get to the theatre). It certainly didn't disappoint because it is amazing and rivals anything I have seen on Broadway! Just before the RMS Titanic sets sail on her maiden voyage, the designer Thomas Andrews (Kelton Davis), the owner J. Bruce Ismay (Justin Bills), and the captain E.J. Smith (Josh Richardson) marvel at the ship in the song "The Largest Moving Object" while a stoker named Fred Barrett (Brock Dalgleish), the lookout Frederick Fleet (R. George Banner), and the telegraph operator Harold Bride (Dallin Bradford) are in awe of it in the song "Ship of Dreams."  The third class passengers, represented by Kate McGowan (Adrien Swenson), Kate Murphy (Kenzie Davis Kremin), Kate Mullins (Erica Schoebinger), and Jim Farrell (Landon Horton), are excited to be going to America for a better life in the song "Lady's Maid," the second class passengers, especially Alice Beane (Ali Bennett), are excited to mingle with the wealthy passengers aboard the ship in the song "The Latest Rag," and the first class passengers, including John Jacob Astor (Paul Hamilton Murphy) and his wife Madeline (Kennedy Bradford), Benjamin Guggenheim (Davis Underwood) and his mistress Mme. Aubert (Casey Wawro), Isidor Straus (David Weekes) and his wife Ida (Sharon Lynn Kenison), John B. Thayer (Ricky Parkinson) and his wife Marian (Melody L. Baugh), George Widener (Tony Akin) and his wife Eleanor (Larissa Villers), Charlotte Drake Cardoza (Shawnda Moss), and a Major (Carson Davies), congratulate themselves on their success in the song "What a Remarkable Age This Is!" Ismay wants the ship to go faster to reach New York Harbor a day sooner for the publicity but that is dangerous and Titanic eventually strikes an iceberg in "No Moon." When it becomes clear that the ship will sink without enough lifeboats for all of the passengers, Andrews, Ismay, and Smith accuse each other in "Blame." Only women and children are allowed on the lifeboats and the men must say goodbye to their loved ones in "We'll Meet Tomorrow." Andrews laments the errors in his design as the ship goes down in "Mr. Andrews' Vision" while the survivors on the Carpathia express hope that they will be reunited with their loved ones in the song "Godspeed Titanic/ Finale." The large ensemble cast, which includes quite a few of my favorite regulars at HCT, is truly outstanding and everyone gets a moment to shine but I was particularly impressed by Richardson's commanding presence (pun intended) as the captain, especially when he takes responsibility in "The Blame." The music is beautiful and I loved it all but I was incredibly moved by the pathos in "The Proposal/ The Night Was Alive" when Barrett sends a telegram to his sweetheart, "The Staircase" when the third class passengers realize that they are trapped, "We'll Meet Tomorrow," as the men try to reassure their loved ones in the lifeboats that all will be well, and "Still" as Ida decides that she will stay on the ship with Isidor (I pretty much had tears in my eyes in all of these songs). The set is absolutely spectacular (one of the best I've seen at HCT and that is saying something!). A large multi-level structure rises from the pit to reveal the boat decks, the first class deck and smoking room, the second class deck, the third class deck and dining room, the boiler room, corridors, and the staircases to each level. The first class dining room, the bridge, the crow's nest (my favorite), and the radio room come down from the rafters. The costumes are fantastic, especially the elaborate turn-of-the-century gowns worn by the female first class passengers and the uniforms worn by the crew.  Finally, the opening montage when the crew and passengers first see the ship is very clever with blueprints and images projected on scrims and the sinking of the ship is incredibly dramatic (it even mimics when the ship breaks apart). I cannot say enough about this beautiful and moving production and, if you think you might want to see it (you should!), I recommend getting tickets as soon as possible because almost every show is sold out (go here).

Note:  Everyone is given the ticket of a real-life passenger with a QR code to scan to learn their fate. My passenger went down with the ship.

Close

I became really interested in Close when it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature (it also won the Grand Prix at Cannes this year).  Luckily it is now screening at the Broadway and I was able to see this poignant coming of age story last night.  Remi (Gustav De Waele) and Leo (Eden Dambrine) are thirteen year old boys who have an incredibly close friendship.  They spend all of their time together playing imaginative games and telling fanciful stories to each other.  However, when they begin secondary school, they are bullied by a group of their peers who notice their physical affection for each other.  This begins to bother Leo, especially when homophobic slurs are used, so he seeks out other friendships and goes to great lengths to avoid spending time with Remi.  Remi is devastated by this and confronts Leo about his behavior but it leads to a physical altercation which leaves him in tears.  When a tragedy occurs Leo must learn to live with the guilt he feels.  What I loved most about the narrative is that it is not necessarily about the sexuality of the two boys (although that interpretation works) but rather about them being viewed as different for having an unconventional friendship that people can't understand.  It does begin to meander a bit in the second half, although the portrayal of how a school reacts to a tragedy is spot-on (unfortunately, I have experienced this several times), but it is worth it for the emotional conclusion between Leo and Remi's mother (Emilie Dequenne) which brought me, and many in my audience, to tears.  The two young, and relatively unknown, actors give lovely performances and I was particularly struck by how well they portrayed their feelings for each other, especially during a scene where Leo watches Remi perform a solo during an orchestra concert.  I also really loved the luminous cinematography and the recurring visual motif of running and bicycling through a field of flowers (which makes the final shot so devastating).  It is beautiful and heartbreaking and I highly recommend it.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

I was really excited for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania because I enjoyed Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp so much.  I went to see it last night but, unfortunately, I thought it was a mixed bag.  After the events of Avengers: Endgame, Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton) builds a device that can make contact with the Quantum Realm but it accidentally opens a portal which transports her, Scott Lang/ Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Hope van Dyne/ Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) there.  They discover a world filled with fantastical beings and creatures but they also discover a time-traveling multiversal being known as Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) who was exiled there and then betrayed by Janet.  Kang is now the ruthless dictator of the Quantum Realm and demands that Scott help him rebuild the multiversal power core that Janet destroyed.  This leads to an epic battle where the fate of both the Quantum Realm and the Multiverse hangs in the balance.  What I loved most about the first two movies in this trilogy is the lighthearted and goofy banter between Ant-Man and his crew so I was really disappointed to find that missing in this installment (where is Luis?).  Much of the humor in the interactions between Scott and the natives doesn't really land and, in my opinion, the characters Lord Krylar (Bill Murray) and M.O.D.O.K. (Corey Stoll) are pointless and ridiculous, respectively.  The emotional core of this movie is meant to come from the father-daughter relationship between Scott and Cassie (Hope is completely sidelined) but I just wasn't very invested in it because I didn't like Cassie as a character (I'm not sure if it is because of Newton's portrayal or my growing annoyance with the plucky-teenager-who-knows-better-than-everyone-else trope).  The CGI is both messy (it is obvious that everyone is acting in front of a green screen) and exhausting (I found my mind wandering during the never-ending climactic battle).  Having said all of that, I absolutely loved the character Kang and Majors' portrayal of him is brilliant because he is so menacing but also a bit vulnerable.  I found Kang's interactions with Janet (Pfeiffer is also outstanding) to be the most compelling aspect of this movie and I am actually looking forward to seeing more from him moving forward (definitely stay for the mid- and end-credits scenes).  I didn't hate this because it sets up one of the most interesting villains in the MCU but yikes!

The 39 Steps at the Grand Theatre

I was so excited to see a new production of The 39 Steps at the Grand Theatre last night because it is one of the funniest plays I have ever seen!  It is a hilarious spoof of the 1935 spy movie of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock and features many references to other movies by the director, including Psycho, Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, North By Northwest, and Vertigo.  There are only four actors performing all of the roles and the action is lightning fast with scene changes and costume changes happening right on stage.  Nicholas Dunn plays Richard Hannay, a man at loose ends who becomes embroiled in a plot to stop a ring of spies from stealing military secrets after a mysterious woman named Annabella Schmidt is stabbed to death in his apartment.  Mara Lefler plays Annabella and several other women who become romantically involved with Hannay when he travels to Scotland to clear his name.  Michelle Lynn Thompson and Max Huftalin play every other character, including actors, traveling salesmen, policemen, innkeepers, farmers, spies, and more.  All four actors have brilliant comedic timing and I especially enjoyed it when Thompson and Huftalin performed several different characters in the same scene simply by changing hats and accents!  I also really enjoyed the physicality of the performances, such as when Dunn and Lefler get stuck trying to climb over a turnstile and when the two of them try to get undressed for bed while handcuffed together.  The audience sits right on the stage so it is an intimate space that is perfect for this show.  The sets and props are very minimal with pieces that are moved and reconfigured to become various locations such as Hannay's flat in London, a music hall, a train, a bridge, the moors, a crofter's cottage, a manor house, a hotel, an assembly hall, a police car, and the London Palladium.  The lighting design is brilliant, especially a sequence where Hannay is being pursued by planes across the moor, during another chase sequence on a train, and when Hannay jumps off a bridge.  The costumes are a lot of fun and are used to great effect to distinguish between the different characters.  I laughed out loud during the entire show and I had a wonderful time.  It is a Backstage at the Grand production and runs Thursday-Saturday until March 11 (go here for tickets).  I highly recommend it!

The Writing Retreat

My February Book of the Month selection was The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz (the other options were Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes, River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer, Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn, and Maame by Jessica George) and I liked it but I didn't love it. Alex has always wanted to be a writer so, when she is unexpectedly offered a spot at an exclusive writer's retreat at the estate of her favorite author Roza Vallo, she jumps at the opportunity. When she arrives at Blackbriar, however, Alex discovers that things are not what they seem.  Roza has assembled the five up-and-coming writers in order for them to compete against each other for a million dollar publishing deal, one of the other participants is Alex's former best friend with whom she has a complicated past, and the estate is remote and isolated (no Wi-Fi or cell service) with a mysterious history involving the occult. When one of the writers disappears, Alex wonders if the supernatural is involved or if one of the participants has sinister intentions. This psychological thriller is incredibly suspenseful and I couldn't put it down but there is a lot going on in this novel and not everything worked for me. I really enjoyed Alex as a character as well as the journey she takes in order to accept and then embrace her sexuality and to claim her power as a writer for the first time. I also really enjoyed the pacing of the novel because the tension builds and builds as information about each character is slowly revealed in order to subvert expectations. I didn't enjoy the supernatural element because it feels very forced, especially the novel-within-a-novel that Alex is writing as part of the competition (I found it very boring), and I feel that it is not necessary because the human intrigue and the locked-room mystery is compelling enough. Also, I didn't really care for all of the graphic sex scenes or the scenes involving drug use, which don't necessarily bother me per se, but I had a big problem with the lack of consent depicted. I would, ultimately, recommend this because of the intriguing premise and atmospheric setting (it has received lots of rave reviews) but I think there are a few elements that keep it from being great.

Titanic

It's been 25 years and I can still remember the excitement I felt seeing Titanic on the big screen on opening night!  It was the last day of school before Christmas break and, because you couldn't buy advance tickets back then, I went on my lunch break to get them for the first screening that night (which was almost sold out).  I had to stand in a really long line and I was almost late getting back to school (kids today will never know what we went through to get tickets back in the day).  I went to see it with my whole family and I was mesmerized by the love story between Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) and Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) as well as the amazing special effects used to depict the sinking of the RMS Titanic.  This was the first movie that I remember feeling really hyped about (the only other movies that I remember standing in line for are The Phantom Menace in 1999 and Spider-Man in 2002) and it was the first movie that seemed like a larger-than-life spectacle that everyone was talking about.  It was also the first movie that I saw multiple times in the theater (I had a lot of time to see it because it was released during Christmas break).  I loved this movie so much that I bought the VHS tapes (it was in two parts) and watched it over and over again.  When I heard that it was going to be re-released in theaters to commemorate its 25th anniversary I knew that I had to see it on the big screen again.  I went with both of my sisters last night and it was just as amazing as I remember it!  Once again, I was so impressed with the special effects (I think they hold up really well), especially when the ship splits in half and then finally submerges.  Even though I know almost everything there is to know about the sinking of the RMS Titanic (I was really obsessed with it for a while and read multiple books on the subject), I still found the final act to be so suspenseful because the tension builds and builds as the water slowly fills the ship (I found myself holding my breath several times).  There are so many indelible scenes (the old couple laying in bed as the water starts to fill their stateroom) and iconic lines ("Titanic was called the ship of dreams.  And it was.  It really was.") and I eagerly awaited every one.  I especially loved all of the transitions from the wreck on the bottom of the ocean to the ship in all of its grandeur.  Both Winslet and DiCaprio are phenomenal (not surprisingly, they both became superstars after this movie) but I was also really impressed with Kathy Bates as Molly Brown and by Billy Zane as Cal Hockley.  Finally, I forgot how much I love the score by James Horner, especially "Hymn to the Sea" and "Rose" because these themes feature haunting vocals by Sissel.  It was almost overwhelming to experience this again and I definitely recommend seeing it while it is back in theaters, especially if you have not seen it on the big screen before!

Ballet West's The Sleeping Beauty

I love being a Ballet West season subscriber but one of the disadvantages is that you can't choose individual performances based on casting so I don't often get to see my favorite ballerina, Katlyn Addison, in a principal role.  So I was absolutely thrilled when I discovered that she would be dancing the role of Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty last night!  This ballet is so beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed Addison's performance (and the entire production).  In the Prologue the King (Zachary Brickson) and Queen (Michele Gifford) invite all of the Fairies of the land to the christening of their daughter, the Princess Aurora.  The Fairies bestow gifts of Kindness, Joy, Beauty, and Temperament in dances featuring fun and energetic choreography.  Carabosse (Emily Adams), angry that she wasn't invited to the christening, casts a spell on Aurora saying that she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die then she flies off the stage dramatically with her minions.  However, the Lilac Fairy (Anisa Sinteral) has not yet bestowed her gift of Wisdom and changes the curse so Aurora will fall into a deep sleep instead and be awakened by the kiss of true love.  In Act I Princess Aurora (Addison) is celebrating her sixteenth birthday and a group of peasants come together in dances of joy (I loved the use of large flower garlands and the instantly recognizable music by Tchaikovsky in these dances).  Four princes vie for Aurora's hand in marriage in a dance with beautiful classical choreography (Addison is absolutely brilliant) and music featuring themes by a solo cello.  An old crone offers her a gift but she turns out to be Carabosse in disguise and the gift is a spindle which pricks Aurora's finger.  She vanishes from the stage (with some spectacular pyrotechnics) but the Lilac Fairy enchants the castle so Aurora and the entire court fall into a deep sleep.  In Act II Prince Desire (Adrian Fry) is leading a hunting party but soon grows bored and is lured away by the Lilac Fairy.  She shows him a vision of Princess Aurora and he becomes enthralled by her (in an incredibly romantic Pas de Deux).  The Lilac Fairy takes him to the enchanted castle where he banishes Carabosse (with more special effects) and awakens Aurora with a kiss.  Act III features the wedding of Prince Desire and Princess Aurora with dances of tribute from fairy tale characters (in spectacular costumes) culminating in a lovely Grand Pas de Deux.  In addition to the amazing choreography, performances, music, and costumes, this ballet also features new and opulent sets by Alain Vaes (the woods used in Act II are especially atmospheric).  I loved this ballet and I would definitely recommend getting a ticket (go here) for a spellbinding night out.

The Pirate Queen at the Empress

I absolutely loved the musical The Pirate Queen when I saw a production at HCT several years ago so I was really excited to see it again at the Empress Theatre last night.  I think they did an outstanding job with a complicated show!  I love the story about two extraordinary women who are enemies but perfect foils to each other because they both face the same limitations as women and ultimately triumph.  Queen Elizabeth I (Kayla Barlow) has just assumed the throne of England and needs to prove herself by conquering the Irish barbarians.  Grace O'Malley (Beck Skeen) has just become the chieftain of the O'Malley clan after proving herself in battle on her father's ship The Pirate Queen but needs to unite the clans to fight against submission to the English Crown.  The music is magnificent (the composers are Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil who are better known for a little show called Les Miserables).  Skeen has a beautiful voice and I loved how it blends with Shatan Duke's, as Tiernan, in the songs "Here On This Night" and "If I Said I Loved You" and with Barlow's in the songs "She Who Has All" and "Woman to Woman."  There are many powerful scenes in this show but my favorites are "Sail to the Stars" when Grace's father is given his final send-off to the sea (I loved the candles), the aforementioned "She Who Has All" between Elizabeth and Grace when a woman in the regalia of a monarch wants what a woman in chains and rags has in her life, and "I'll Be There" when Tiernan has to watch the woman he has loved since childhood marry someone else to unite the clans.  I was really impressed with the staging of "The Pirate Queen," especially when Grace climbs the rigging to free a sail during a storm, and "Boys'll Be Boys," because Hayden Porter, as Donal, gives a hilarious physical performance (I laughed at all of his facial expressions).  The choreography, particularly the Irish dancing in "The Wedding" and "The Christening" and the fight choreography in the battle sequences, is spectacular and a lot of fun to watch.  The Empress always does so much with their small and intimate space and this show is no exception.  The stage features a large backdrop of the prow of a ship in the middle of the ocean (with other set pieces such as a helm and hanging nets that are moved on and off) which is then cleverly draped with luxurious red fabric to become the court of Queen Elizabeth.  The costumes are fantastic, especially the over-the-top gowns worn by Elizabeth and her attendants.  I loved this show so much and I highly recommend it but, unfortunately, there are only two performances left (go here for tickets).

Clue at West Valley Arts

My very favorite show at the Utah Shakespeare Festival last summer was definitely Clue because it is such an incredibly funny slapstick comedy! I was, therefore, really excited when I found out that West Valley Arts was opening the 2023 season with it (and really curious about how they would stage it in the round). I had the chance to see it last night and it was so much fun! Six guests, including Colonel Mustard (Tyson Baker), Mrs. Peacock (Jayne Luke), Professor Plum (Anthony Lovato), Mrs. White (Sarah Shippobotham), Mr. Green (Colton Hattabaugh), and Miss Scarlet (Daysha Lassiter), are invited by Mr. Boddy (Joseph Kyle Rohan) to his manor on a dark and stormy night. Mr. Boddy has been blackmailing each of them and, after providing them with weapons, he tells them he will return the evidence he has against them...if they kill his butler Mr. Wadsworth (Benjamin "BJ" Whimpey). Murder and mayhem ensue! The staging is extremely clever because there are a series of moving doors that lead the characters to the lounge, the study, the billiards room, and the kitchen located on the main stage while stairs lead to the hall, the library, and the conservatory located in the areas above the wings. There is elaborate (and highly amusing) choreography as the characters move from room to room (which are seamlessly reconfigured by the ensemble). I loved the parquet floors and the mahogany wainscoting on the walls all around the theater as well as the velvet covered chaise lounges, the drinks cabinets (I loved the attention to detail), and the chandeliers. This show is filled with witty dialogue (the references to Republicans had my audience laughing out loud), funny sight gags (I loved it when the board game is used as a map of the manor), and hilarious physical comedy. My favorite scenes are when Mr. Wadsworth reenacts every single murder in detail and when he accuses a character of committing the murder and then the action rewinds in slow-motion as each character accuses someone else. The entire cast is wonderful and they all have great comedic timing but I especially enjoyed Hattabaugh's physicality in scenes where he is trapped under two different dead bodies and when a chandelier falls on him in slow-motion. The lighting is very dramatic and used to great effect to highlight the different areas of the manor and the costumes are completely over the top (especially Miss Scarlet's gown). I laughed and laughed at this production and I highly recommend it for a really fun night out (go here for tickets).

A Distinct Society at PTC

At my last Utah Symphony concert the cute ladies that I sit with absolutely raved about PTC's production of A Distinct Society. I was already intrigued by the show and their endorsement made me even more excited to see it. I had the chance last night and I really loved this exploration of how ideologies and borders impact relationships. The Haskell Free Library is located on the border between Vermont and Quebec making the question of who has jurisdiction over it, the United States or Canada, somewhat hazy. The librarian, Manon (Carrie Paff), is a French-Canadian and a staunch Separatist who regrets damaging her relationship with her father over her extremist beliefs so she writes an anonymous Facebook post, using the nom de guerre Elizabeth Bennett, inviting those affected by the so-called Muslim ban to come to Canada to reunite with their loved ones living in the U.S. at the library. Peyman (Abdullah Khalil) travels from Tehran to Montreal and makes arrangements to meet his daughter Shirin (Vaneh Assadourian), a medical student based in Boston, at the library. However, Customs and Border Patrol is cracking down on these reunions and Bruce (Corey Jones) is assigned to the area. He is sympathetic to the plight of these families, especially Peyman and Shirin, but he is determined to follow the letter of the law after having been disciplined for being lax in the past. Sixteen-year-old Declan (Emmet Smith) is an immigrant to Canada from Northern Ireland and a frequent visitor to the library.  He says that he travels several hours to read the graphic novels he can't find anywhere else but it is really so he can symbolically escape the bullying he faces in Quebec for refusing to speak French. Their interactions with each other are motivated by kindness, understanding, shared experiences (I particularly enjoyed the references to The Green Lantern), and even the possibility of a new romance but will policies determined to keep them apart prevail? I found the story to be incredibly powerful and compelling but the resolution was a bit disappointing because it feels very rushed (it actually took me a minute to realize that the play had ended). The narrative takes its time to reveal the backstory of each character little by little and, as a result, I was very invested in each of them and I wanted to know more about the consequences of their actions, especially Manon's decision to allow Peyman and Shirin to meet. Having said that, I really enjoyed this production. The cast is outstanding and everyone gives a very heart-felt performance. I particularly enjoyed the chemistry between Paff and Jones and the palpable vulnerability displayed by Smith. I also really loved the set of the library which includes bookcases surrounding the proscenium, library carts full of books, cozy leather chairs and sofas, a child-sized table and chairs, and lots of fun details (the line on the floor separating the U.S. and Canada is hilarious). I was very moved by the themes of belonging, which feel very relevant today, and I definitely recommend it.  There are only a few more performances so get your tickets (go here) soon.

Saint Omer

The trailer for Saint Omer looked really intriguing to me so I spontaneously decided to see it at the Broadway last night.  It is an incredibly powerful and thought-provoking examination of motherhood and the immigrant experience and it is one of the best movies I've seen this year!  Rama (Kayije Kagame) is an author and professor of literature who is interested in writing a modern retelling of the Greek myth Medea.  To that end, she travels from Paris to the town of Saint Omer to cover the trial of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda), a Senegalese woman accused of murdering her 15 month old daughter by leaving her on the beach to be swept away with the tide.  As the trial progresses, it is slowly revealed that Laurence fled her native Senegal because of a difficult relationship with her mother, that she stayed in a toxic relationship because she didn't have a job or anywhere else to live, that she had aspirations of studying philosophy but was prevented from doing so by her pregnancy, and that she felt lost and invisible as an immigrant in France.  It is also revealed that Rama had a difficult relationship with her Senegalese mother while growing up, that she sometimes feels that she doesn't belong in the country of her birth (in a brilliant scene of her walking through a crowd), and that she is now four months pregnant.  She begins to feel a deep connection to Laurence (shown in an incredibly poignant scene when the two women make eye contact) but not for the reason I was expecting and it culminates in an incredibly emotional moment.  I love it when my expectations are subverted!  What I found so interesting is that, even though most of the narrative takes place in the courtroom during the trial, it is not really about the trial (we don't even hear the verdict) but, rather, it is about Rama's reaction to the trial.  I also thought is was interesting that her reactions are shown with closeup shots of her face rather than with dialogue (silence is used very effectively).  Both Kagame and Malanda give compelling performances because I was absolutely riveted by the narrative despite the sparse and unadorned presentation.  This is a simple but profound film and I highly recommend it!

Seussical The Musical at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts

It is no secret that I am not a big fan of Seussical the Musical (when I saw the Broadway touring production a few years ago I wanted to leave at intermission) but I have to admit that the more I see it the more it grows on me. I still think it is convoluted and loses steam in the second act but the production I saw last night at the SCERA Center for the Performing Arts featuring an insanely talented group of high school students known as Acting Up! just might be the best one I've seen yet because I think the fantastical story is served really well by a young and exuberant cast. JoJo (Casey Garner) is an imaginative boy who sometimes gets in trouble for the thinks that he thinks so the Cat in the Hat (Luke Elison), acting as a Master of Ceremonies with the help of Thing 1 (Al Sorenson) and Thing 2 (Averie Bartholomew), takes him on a magical adventure where he meets Horton the Elephant (Max Wright), Gertrude McFuzz (Juniper Gray), the Amayzing Mayzie (Elena Dutton) and her Bird Girls (Eloise Brown, Lily Martin, Racel Paz, Sophia Rush, Tanya Cespedes, and Vashti Coray), the Sour Kangaroo (Hannah Mildenstein), the Wickersham Brothers (Cairo McGee, Cyrus Beaumont, Dean Salvesen, and Eli Palmer), the Mayor of Who-Ville (Max Warren) and his wife (Gabriella Droubay), and General Genhis Khan Schmitz (Thayne Larson).  JoJo ultimately learns that anything is possible and that he can go anywhere he wants just by thinking his thinks. I was really impressed with the choreography and special effects used in all of the musical numbers, especially "Horton Hears a Who" (something drew my eye everywhere I looked), "It's Possible" (the fish puppets are very whimsical), "Monkey Around" (the acrobatics are quite impressive), "The Military" (the giant knives used as swords are a lot of fun), "The Circus McGurkus" (I loved the tap dancing), and "Havin' A Hunch" (the use of blacklight is dazzling). As I mentioned, the entire cast is unbelievably talented but I particularly enjoyed Elison because he oozes charisma, Wright because he is so enduring and sympathetic (his renditions of "Alone in the Universe" and "Solla Sollew" almost brought me to tears), and Mildenstein because she has an amazing voice! The costumes are bold, colorful, and fun and I especially loved the fanciful feathered dresses worn by Mayzie and the Bird Girls.  The pastel multi-level set comes straight from a Dr. Seuss book and I loved all of the little nooks and crannies from which cast members suddenly appear and the poles used to slide from the top level to the bottom one. Thing 1 and Thing 2 are cleverly used to move smaller set pieces and props on and off stage seamlessly. I know that many of you who have heard me complain about how nonsensical this show is will be surprised but I really enjoyed this version! It will never be my favorite but I had a smile on my face during the whole show because I was so impressed by these young actors! It runs at SCERA through February 11 (tickets may be purchased here) and I highly recommend it.

Knock at the Cabin

I am a big fan of M. Night Shyamalan and, other than The Last Airbender, I have enjoyed all of his movies to varying degrees.  I was, therefore, really looking forward to Knock at the Cabin and I went to see it last night.  As with most of Shyamalan's movies, I thought it was incredibly thought-provoking.  Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge) are vacationing at a remote cabin in the woods with their seven-year-old adopted daughter Wen (Kristen Cui).  During their stay, four strangers approach with makeshift weapons and break into the cabin.  Leonard (Dave Bautista), Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird), Adriane (Abby Quinn), and Redmond (Rupert Grint) tell them that they have all had the same visions of the apocalypse and have been compelled by those visions to seek them out and offer them a terrible choice: they must willingly sacrifice one member of their family or each of the four of them will be forced to unleash a plague to bring about the end of the world.  At first Andrew and Eric refuse because they believe them to be a doomsday cult that has targeted them for being gay but then news reports seem to suggest that the prophecies are coming true.  I was completely riveted by the themes of belief and choice.  Much of the palpable tension comes from trying to decide if what the four strangers are saying is true or if they are completely delusional and much of the suspense comes from trying to figure out what Eric and Andrew will ultimately decide.  The shot composition, which employs many extreme closeups, creates a claustrophobia that adds to the unease.  The performances are outstanding but the standout for me is Bautista because, even though he is large and menacing, he imbues Leonard with a tenderness that kept me off guard.  This is probably Shyamalan's most straightforward narrative because the third act doesn't really feature one of his well-known twists but, rather, answers the above questions in such a way that I am still pondering how I feel about it.  In my opinion, this is one of his best movies in years and I highly recommend it.

Emmanuel Pahud Performs Mozart's Magic Flute Fantasy

Last night's Utah Symphony concert marked the return of Maestro Thierry Fischer to the podium and it was a wonderful and varied evening of music!  The orchestra began with Symphony No. 12 by Joseph Haydn.  It was performed with a smaller chamber group standing up and I really enjoyed it, especially the woodwinds in the first movement, the somber mood in the second movement, and the burst of energy from the strings in the third movement.  After this came Lyric Suite by Alban Berg.  This piece was inspired by Berg's intense infatuation with Hanna Fuchs-Robbetin.  In an attempt to keep the affair a secret from his wife and her husband, Berg included many secret codes and messages dedicated to her within the music.  It is very expressive and emotional with the first three movements getting progressively faster and the last three getting slower to depict the timeline of a forbidden affair that begins with passion and then ends in despair.  Next the orchestra was joined by the 2022-2023 Artist-in-Association Emmanuel Pahud as the soloist for Magic Flute Fantasy, an arrangement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Magic Flute by Robert Fobbes.  This was very lively and playful and Pahud performed it beautifully with a bright and clear sound.  Fischer also got in on the action by playing the pan-flute to the delight of the audience!  After the intermission, Pahud joined the orchestra once again for Concerto for Flute and Orchestra by Carl Nielsen.  This piece is also very playful and I particularly enjoyed the dialogues between the flute and other solo instruments (especially the clarinet and the timpani).  The concert concluded in dramatic fashion with Sinfonietta by Leos Janacek.  This piece is an ode to Czechoslovakia which begins and ends with patriotic fanfares by the brass (featuring 12 trumpets, 2 bass trumpets, 4 trombones, 4 horns, 2 Wagner tubas, and a tuba) and timpani.  It was absolutely epic!  I love ending the week at Abravanel Hall with the Utah Symphony and last night's concert was especially enjoyable!  Tickets for tonight's performance of the same program may be purchased here.

Living

The second movie in my double feature yesterday was Living.  I saw this virtually at Sundance last year and it was so lovely that I decided to see it on the big screen now that it is in wide release.  The always wonderful Bill Nighy is Rodney Williams, a paper-pushing bureaucrat at the ministry of public works in post-war London.  He is mild-mannered, set in his ways, and largely ineffective at his job.  When he receives a terminal diagnosis he chooses not to tell his son (Barney Fishwick) and daughter-in-law (Patsy Ferran) and, instead, withdraws a large sum of money and travels to Brighton where he hopes to live a little but doesn't know how.  He takes a dissolute writer (Tom Burke) that he meets by chance as his guide through the unseemly but this proves unsatisfactory.  Upon returning home he forms an unlikely friendship with a vivacious young woman (Aimee Lou Wood) from his office because he is attracted to her zest for living but this relationship becomes fodder for gossip.  Ultimately, he decides to use the time he has left to make a difference and returns to work to see a project long buried in paperwork to fruition which inspires a young colleague (Alex Sharp).  This is a very subtle character study of a man living with regret about the way in which he has lived his life and it might be too subdued for many but I was incredibly moved by it.  This is due, in large part, to the quietly powerful performance by Nighy (who is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor).  He conveys more with just a minute change of expression than many other actors do with pages of dialogue, especially in a scene where he reacts to flashbacks from his life.  The production design, costumes (I love that a hat is used as a symbol of transformation), and washed out cinematography are brilliant because this actually looks like it could be a film from the 1950s, particularly the opening credits.  I really enjoyed this exquisite little gem and I highly recommend seeking it out.

Infinity Pool

I had a strange (thematically) double feature at the Broadway yesterday starting with Infinity Pool.  I recently saw this at Sundance but I decided to take another dip because I was really curious to see the differences in the theatrical release (also because I am a freak).  James Foster (Alexander Skarsgard) and his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are vacationing at a luxurious resort located in a developing island country.  They are advised not to leave the compound because the island suffers from abject poverty and has a high crime rate with inhabitants who often target wealthy tourists.  However, fellow guests Gabi (Mia Goth) and Alban Bauer (Jalil Lespert) convince them to leave the resort with them in a hired car for a day at a secluded beach.  On the way back to the resort James accidentally hits and kills a local resident with the car.  He is eventually arrested and, according to custom, the victim's next of kin is allowed to kill him for the sake of the family's honor but there is an alternative, offered to tourists and diplomats, which allows him to avoid the execution for an exorbitant fee.  This alternative is reprehensible but he takes it and soon learns that many of the other guests at the resort, including Gabi and Alban, have had the same experience and return to the resort year after year for the freedom it allows them.  James is titillated by what he has done and is soon drawn into the violent and hedonistic exploits of his fellow guests because there are no longer any consequences for his actions.  Even with several scenes edited from the version I saw at Sundance (yes that scene), this is incredibly shocking and disturbing with some really trippy cinematography but it has a lot of interesting things to say about both privilege and morality and I found it very compelling.  Both Skarsgard and Goth, who is completely unhinged in the best possible way, give fully committed performances and you simply cannot look away from them but there is such a feeling of escalating dread, even upon a second viewing, that I often wanted to.  This definitely won't be for everyone but I loved it and recommend it to fans of Brandon Cronenberg.

Jazz vs. Raptors

My friend Angela has a Utah Jazz ticket package this season and she very graciously let me choose several games to attend with her.  Of course I had to choose the Toronto Raptors game because I always love to hear "O Canada" performed!  I'm so glad that I chose this one because it was a really good game (with a great outcome) and I had so much fun with Angela (sometimes I think I talk to much to her when she is trying to watch the game).  The Jazz played really well and led the Raptors during the entire first half (Lauri Markkanen was fantastic and ended the game with 28 points and 13 rebounds).  But they let the Raptors catch up and the lead went back and forth multiple times during the third quarter.  The Jazz missed quite a few outside shots which was a little bit frustrating but then Jordan Clarkson (who was a bit inconsistent) made a really pretty three point jump shot which put the Jazz ahead 73-74 and another three point jump shot from Markkanen a few seconds later gave the Jazz the lead for good for the rest of the quarter.  The fourth quarter gave me a lot of anxiety because the Raptors took a 98-96 lead and then, once again, the lead went back and forth until Walker Kessler got a nice dunk to put the Jazz up 105-108.  The Jazz led by 6 in the final minute but the Raptors really tried (the last minute look at least 20 minutes to play but it was really exciting).  Free throws by Clarkson and Markkanen sealed the deal giving the Jazz the win 128-131.  The crowd was absolutely crazy during the final minutes and it was so fun!

I got to wear my new Clarkson jersey for the first time so I am glad that he won for me!  It is really funny because Angela and I both got Clarkson jerseys but the styles we chose are completely appropriate!

Missing

I am a fan of the screenlife genre of storytelling where most of the action takes place on computer or smartphone screens (such as Searching and Profile) so I have been looking forward to the latest installment Missing.  I finally had a chance to see it last night and I really enjoyed it.  June Allen (Storm Reid) is worried when her mother Grace (Nia Long) does not return home from a week-long trip to Colombia with her new boyfriend Kevin (Ken Leung).  She files a missing persons report with the FBI but encounters a lot of red tape so she decides to investigate herself by using all of the technology she has at her disposal and by hiring Javier (Joaquim de Almeida), a freelance worker based in Colombia.  She comes to suspect that Kevin is involved in her mother's disappearance when she discovers that he has a criminal record and a history of conning women but then she learns that her mother may not be who she says she is.  This was so much better than I was expecting because, even though it is a bit far-fetched, the central mystery had me on the edge of my seat with some twist and turns that I did not see coming.  The technology that is used has been upgraded in this movie (the footage from the home security cameras is especially unsettling and the use of live-streaming brings tension and immediacy to the narrative) and I liked having an eighteen-year-old as the protagonist because her navigation (and hacking) of all of the different apps and programs feels very organic.  I also liked the relationship between a rebellious daughter and an overprotective mother because it raises the emotional stakes and also informs what happens later on.  The performances, pacing, and editing are outstanding because they kept me engaged during the entire runtime.  This is another movie that is better than what we usually get in January and I recommend it.

Note:  I am now going to change all of my passwords and disable the camera on my laptop!